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The radiation protection
situation in interventional radiology
ASN considers that the urgent
measures it has been recommending
for several years to improve the
radiation protection of patients
and professionals in the exercise of
interventional practices, especially
in the operating theatres, have still
not been taken. These measures
concern increasing the still
insufficient medical physicist staff
numbers, user training, quality
assurance, organising professional
practice audits, increasing themeans
allocated to PCRs, training medical
professionals in patient radiation
protection and the publication of
best practices guides by the learned
societies.
Outlook
Due to the implications – as much
for the radiation protection of
professionals, where dose limit
overruns are still observed – as for that
of patients, where significant radiation
protection events are notified –
and because of the shortcomings
in the radiation protection culture
of medical workers, particularly in
operating theatres, ASN considers
that the inspection of interventional
radiology remains a national priority
in its 2016 inspection programme.
Small-scale nuclear activities
stand out through their extreme
heterogeneity and the very large
number of licensees concerned.
Industrial, research and veterinary
uses of radioactive sources are
mainly industrial irradiation, X-ray
inspection of materials, checking of
physical parameters such as dust
levels or density, neutron activation
and various detection techniques,
plus trackers. Electrical devices
emitting ionising radiation are used
for similar purposes, as well as for
veterinary diagnostic radiology.
ASN must therefore adapt its efforts
to the radiation protection issues of
these activities if it is to regulate them
effectively.ASNisinparticularattentive
to overseeing the management of
ionisingradiationsources,monitoring
their conditions of possession,
utilisation and disposal and ensuring
the accountability andmonitoring of
source manufacturers and suppliers.
Significant events
In 2015, with regard to the users,
ASNexamined andnotified218new
licenses, handled 1,017 license
renewals or updates and revoked
396 licenses. In 2015, ASN
granted 193 licences and renewed
256 licenses to use X-ray generating
devices and issued 601 notification
acknowledgements.Withregardtothe
suppliers, 94 licenceor license renewal
applicationswere examinedbyASN.
ASNalso carriedout 410 inspections
of users and suppliers.
ASN continued its verification of the
withdrawal from service of smoke
detectors using radioactive sources.
In September 2015, it granted a
license to the Orange company
for the removal of all the lightning
arresters installed on its network that
contain radionuclides and for their
storage on specified sites.
It is also encouraging the removal
of radioactive lightning conductors.
In 2015, several incidents took
place in the field of industrial
radiography, including one rated 2
on the INES scale; it concerned the
use of an X-ray generating device in
a bunker, leading to the exposure
of one person in Colomiers (Haute
Garonne
département
). Industrial
radiography is an inspection priority
for ASN, with nearly 100 inspections
per year. ASN finds that the way
the companies address the risk
varies widely. Preparation of
the interventions, dose forecast
evaluations, coordination between
ordering customers and service
providers and the adoption of
preventive measures warrant
particularly close attention by the
parties involved.
10
Industrial, research
and veterinary uses
and source security
30
ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN 2015